diff --git a/gitnexus/scripts/heal-stale-wal.mjs b/gitnexus/scripts/heal-stale-wal.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b10742148
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/scripts/heal-stale-wal.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+/**
+ * heal-stale-wal.mjs — Clear stale LadybugDB WAL files that prevent graph loads.
+ *
+ * PROBLEM
+ * -------
+ * Aborting a graph stream mid-flight (navigating away, reloading the page, or
+ * closing the tab before the stream finishes) leaves a small `lbug.wal` file in
+ * the index's storage directory. Every subsequent attempt to open the database
+ * then fails because LadybugDB tries to recover through `lbug.shadow`, which
+ * was never written:
+ *
+ *   {"type":"error","error":"IO exception: Cannot open file.
+ *    path: .../.gitnexus/lbug.shadow - Error 2: The system cannot find the file
+ *    specified."}
+ *
+ * The web UI receives this as its first stream frame, so the progress bar sits
+ * at "0.0 MB downloaded" and falls back to "Graph not loaded". It is not a size
+ * problem and not a browser problem: the index stays bricked until the WAL is
+ * removed.
+ *
+ * USAGE
+ *   node gitnexus/scripts/heal-stale-wal.mjs           # heal every registered index
+ *   node gitnexus/scripts/heal-stale-wal.mjs --check    # report only, change nothing
+ *
+ * SAFETY
+ * ------
+ * A WAL is only junk when nothing is writing. `gitnexus analyze` writes, so this
+ * script refuses to run while an analyze is in flight. It also copies each WAL to
+ * a backup directory before unlinking, and only targets WAL files at or below a
+ * header-only size threshold (4 KB) to avoid touching legitimate transactions.
+ *
+ * The process scan is a courtesy pre-check, not a lock. An analyze could start
+ * between the check and the unlink. On Windows the unlink will fail with EBUSY
+ * if the WAL is held open, making the race benign. On POSIX the fd stays valid
+ * after unlink, so the writer is also unaffected.
+ */
+
+import { execSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { existsSync, mkdirSync, copyFileSync, unlinkSync, readFileSync, statSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { join, resolve } from 'node:path';
+import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+
+const GITNEXUS_DIR = process.env.GITNEXUS_HOME || join(homedir(), '.gitnexus');
+const REGISTRY_PATH = join(GITNEXUS_DIR, 'registry.json');
+const BACKUP_DIR = join(GITNEXUS_DIR, 'wal-backups');
+const HEADER_ONLY_BYTES = 4096;
+
+function isAnalyzeRunning() {
+  try {
+    const output = execSync(
+      process.platform === 'win32'
+        ? 'tasklist /FO CSV /NH'
+        : 'ps aux',
+      { encoding: 'utf-8', timeout: 5000 },
+    );
+    return output.includes('gitnexus') && output.includes('analyze');
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+function getStoragePaths() {
+  if (!existsSync(REGISTRY_PATH)) return [];
+  let entries;
+  try {
+    entries = JSON.parse(readFileSync(REGISTRY_PATH, 'utf-8'));
+  } catch {
+    return [];
+  }
+  if (!Array.isArray(entries)) return [];
+  const out = [];
+  for (const entry of entries) {
+    if (typeof entry !== 'object' || entry === null) continue;
+    const raw = entry.storagePath || entry.path;
+    if (raw) out.push({ name: entry.name || '?', storagePath: resolve(String(raw)) });
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+function formatTimestamp() {
+  const d = new Date();
+  const pad = (n) => String(n).padStart(2, '0');
+  return `${d.getFullYear()}${pad(d.getMonth() + 1)}${pad(d.getDate())}-${pad(d.getHours())}${pad(d.getMinutes())}${pad(d.getSeconds())}`;
+}
+
+function uniqueBackupPath(name, index) {
+  mkdirSync(BACKUP_DIR, { recursive: true });
+  const ts = formatTimestamp();
+  const suffix = index > 0 ? `-${index}` : '';
+  const candidate = join(BACKUP_DIR, `${name}${suffix}-${ts}.wal`);
+  if (!existsSync(candidate)) return candidate;
+  return join(BACKUP_DIR, `${name}${suffix}-${ts}-${process.pid}.wal`);
+}
+
+function heal({ checkOnly = false } = {}) {
+  if (isAnalyzeRunning()) {
+    console.log('gitnexus analyze is running; refusing to touch any WAL.');
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  const indexes = getStoragePaths();
+  if (indexes.length === 0) {
+    console.log('No indexes found in registry.');
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  let cleared = 0;
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < indexes.length; i++) {
+    const { name, storagePath } = indexes[i];
+    const walPath = join(storagePath, 'lbug.wal');
+
+    if (!existsSync(walPath)) {
+      console.log(`  ${name}: clean`);
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    let size;
+    try {
+      size = statSync(walPath).size;
+    } catch {
+      console.log(`  ${name}: could not stat WAL`);
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (size > HEADER_ONLY_BYTES) {
+      console.log(
+        `  ${name}: WAL is ${size.toLocaleString()} bytes — too large to assume it is ` +
+        `an aborted read. Left alone; re-run \`gitnexus analyze\` instead.`,
+      );
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (checkOnly) {
+      console.log(`  ${name}: STALE WAL (${size} bytes) — would clear`);
+      cleared++;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const backupPath = uniqueBackupPath(name, i);
+      copyFileSync(walPath, backupPath);
+      unlinkSync(walPath);
+      console.log(`  ${name}: cleared stale WAL (${size} bytes)`);
+      cleared++;
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.log(`  ${name}: could not clear WAL (${err.message}). Is the server holding it?`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return cleared;
+}
+
+const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+const checkOnly = args.includes('--check');
+
+if (!existsSync(REGISTRY_PATH)) {
+  console.log(`No GitNexus registry found at ${REGISTRY_PATH}`);
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+const count = heal({ checkOnly });
+
+if (count > 0 && !checkOnly) {
+  console.log(`\n${count} index(es) healed. Reload the GitNexus tab.`);
+} else if (count === 0) {
+  console.log('\nNothing to heal.');
+}